Bulls, Nets hook up in Eastern Conference clash

(Sports Network) - Two teams jockeying for position in the Eastern Conference
playoff race meet Saturday night when the Chicago Bulls host the Brooklyn
Nets.

The Nets stand second in the Atlantic Division, three games behind the New
York Knicks, but in the fifth spot in the East. The Bulls are second in the
Central and trail the Nets by a half-game for that fifth spot.

The Nets head into this road contest after a bad home loss Friday night to the
Dallas Mavericks. Joe Johnson returned to the lineup after missing the three
previous games with a sore left heel.

Johnson started, but played less than 30 minutes. He scored 11 points and
handed out six assists, but didn't play much late in the 98-90 loss. Head
coach P.J. Carlesimo said he liked the group he had on the floor and when time
came to put Johnson back, Carlesimo thought Johnson sat too long to reinsert
him.

Deron Williams led the Nets with 24 points, although 17 came in the first
half.

The Nets committed 20 turnovers, including seven from Williams, and allowed
the Mavs to shoot 50 percent from the field and 43 percent from the 3-point
arc.

The Nets have lost three of four, but have won three in a row on the road.

Chicago has been idle since a 93-82 home win on Thursday over the Philadelphia
76ers. That victory snapped a two-game slide and all the talk of that win
surrounded Joakim Noah.

The Bulls center may have placed himself in prime position to win the
Defensive Player of the Year award with a 23-point, 21-rebound, 11-block
triple-double on national television.

"Never seen anything like that," said Carlos Boozer. "That was legendary
stuff. I've never seen a center do that, no teammate of mine."

Very few people have seen performances like that, let alone from a teammate.

Noah matched the Bulls' team record for blocks in a regulation game and became
the sixth player in NBA history with a triple-double featuring at least 20
points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks.

The other five were Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shawn Bradley,
Shaquille O'Neal and Elvin Hayes. With due respect to Mr. Bradley, and
recognizing blocked shots were not an official statistic in the days of Wilt
Chamberlain or Bill Russell, Noah's game was one of the best ever for a
center.

"I played my game," said Noah. "I'm not somebody who's going to score in the
post. I just went where the ball bounced."

These teams have split their two meetings this season with the home team
prevailing each time. The Nets have lost five of their last six in the Windy
City.